AFL (Australian Rules Football)

[samueljay]

Hi All,
There wasn't a thread here for AFL, so thought I'd start one, has anyone here taken any shots at a game recently? I took my camera there to Sundays Game (St Kilda vs. North Melbourne) and took a few shots, was pretty happy with how they turned out, but would love to see others stuff / constructive criticism As for process, they were all shot on my 5D III, with a 70-200mm @ 200mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 800, and a shutter of 1/800s. Post processing was mainly fixing the white balance, and boosting contrast, a little vignetting on some to highlight the action too! Thanks for looking

Also, while I agree spot colouring is a bit of a dicky technique, it's used a lot in AFL media, because a teams colours are their identity, and they love to highlight that

 

[wickidwombat]

some good shots, the vignetting ruins them though IMO
especially since the 70-200 is such a clean sharp lens

 

[pwp]

That's a first! Good to see some AFL images on CR. For those who may not be aware of the fact, AFL is the greatest sport on the planet. If you want to promote the great game, I would have left out the punch-ups.

They're nice shots, but personally I would not have gone quite so heavy on the vignetting and would have cropped a lot tighter on the action. 5D3 files shot at a mere 800 iso will take cropping with no problems.

PW

 

[samueljay]

some good shots, the vignetting ruins them though IMO
especially since the 70-200 is such a clean sharp lens

Thanks for the comments wicked! Haha yeah, maybe went a bit overboard there , I liked the look but always good to get other opinions, might have another play with the raws tonight and see how they look without the vignette!

That's a first! Good to see some AFL images on CR. For those who may not be aware of the fact, AFL is the greatest sport on the planet. If you want to promote the great game, I would have left out the punch-ups.

They're nice shots, but personally I would not have gone quite so heavy on the vignetting and would have cropped a lot tighter on the action. 5D3 files shot at a mere 800 iso will take cropping with no problems.

PW

Ahh yeah Like I said above, I might have another go at processing, and leave out the vignette, the reason I did it is I felt it highlighted the action a bit more, but will see how they look without it! Thanks for the tips

I don't see how posting photos of a punch up is going to demote the game, or misrepresent it though, as there are brawls every other week in the AFL.

 

[wickidwombat]

Its not a real game unless there's a punch up!
;D

 

[wickidwombat]

dont be afraid to crop to add emphasis too
I think a simple crop like this makes the airborne dude stand out a bit more

 

[samueljay]

Ooo nice! I like what you did there wicked! Thanks for the tips!

 

[4thchicken]

So work out what the white balance should be and set it manually next time. You should be able to do this for each ground without any trouble as they don't change the type of lights that are used.

Also, take along a 300 or preferably 400mm zoom to really get in close with the players.

200mm is just not enough.

There is a 200mm focal length limit to AFL matches - though you could easily get around that if you add in a TC or body with crop factor etc

 

[Vossie]

Nice shots, but I also dislike the vignetting. Withhout it, they would be better!

There is a 200mm focal length limit to AFL matches - though you could easily get around that if you add in a TC or body with crop factor etc

what do you mean? You are not allowed to bring longer lenses? Hard to believe....

 

[P_R]

Hi,
Great to see AFL here! My 2c:

First image is missing the ball - maybe it wasn't a mark (for the non-AFL watches, a "mark" is when a player catches the ball) - I kept looking for the ball in the shot. Uf possible try to include it.

I like the second shot - some biffo is part of the game and this captures it well.

Third one is not needed as you already have a fight. As a shot I like it too, but would have it or the second one, not both.

Fourth one is well captured, and is my favourite. But it isn't level (something I always have problems with) and the vignetting is too strong on the botton left. You could also crop the left quarter (or so) so as to put the player more towards the 1/3 mark. But I love the shot - has the player(s), ball and expressions.

Last one, also lacks the ball. A non-AFL watcher may wonder why the players are wrestling. With the ball in view it might be clearer.

Thank you for posting those and please post more. I'd put in a request for the Dockers but that might get me kicked out of this thread :'(

(and yes, there is a restriction on what you can bring into a game, but 200+TC+crop can give you plenty of reach, especially if the game is during daytime).

 

[eli72]

You might even crop in and straighten it a little bit to emphasize the action. There was a lot of "dead space" in the upper left of this one.

 

[samueljay]

So work out what the white balance should be and set it manually next time. You should be able to do this for each ground without any trouble as they don't change the type of lights that are used.

Also, take along a 300 or preferably 400mm zoom to really get in close with the players.

200mm is just not enough.

Thanks for the tip dilbert, I did set the white balance manually, it looked fine on the back LCD, however it wasn't exactly right when I opened them up in PS, I should have specified it was a very minor tweak, just moving the tint slider to the left a little.

Thanks, but as you can see I don't own a 300 or 400mm lens, I think the 200mm worked quite well, much better than I was expecting which is always nice! (having level 1 members seats helps too ) Also, as 4thchicken pointed out there are lens restrictions at AFL games so as to not put the pro's out of jobs, it's usually 300mm. Ah well! Could always use a TC, but I never have before, and not sure if the hit in IQ would be worthwhile.

Nice shots, but I also dislike the vignetting. Withhout it, they would be better!

what do you mean? You are not allowed to bring longer lenses? Hard to believe....

Thanks Vossie! And sadly yes, you're not allowed to bring longer lenses into the stadium, see here for info:

http://www.etihadstadium.com.au/camera

Hi,
Great to see AFL here! My 2c:

First image is missing the ball - maybe it wasn't a mark (for the non-AFL watches, a "mark" is when a player catches the ball) - I kept looking for the ball in the shot. Uf possible try to include it.

I like the second shot - some biffo is part of the game and this captures it well.

Third one is not needed as you already have a fight. As a shot I like it too, but would have it or the second one, not both.

Fourth one is well captured, and is my favourite. But it isn't level (something I always have problems with) and the vignetting is too strong on the botton left. You could also crop the left quarter (or so) so as to put the player more towards the 1/3 mark. But I love the shot - has the player(s), ball and expressions.

Last one, also lacks the ball. A non-AFL watcher may wonder why the players are wrestling. With the ball in view it might be clearer.

Thank you for posting those and please post more. I'd put in a request for the Dockers but that might get me kicked out of this thread :'(

(and yes, there is a restriction on what you can bring into a game, but 200+TC+crop can give you plenty of reach, especially if the game is during daytime).

Hey P_R!
Thanks for all your comments, in regards to the first shot, it was a mark, but the ball didn't come into the shot until 2 frames later here, I was thinking it was a bit odd that you couldn't see the ball, but I prefered the action in the other shot :

Thanks! Good tip to always just pick the best photo of one single event. In regards to the fourth, the bottom left wasn't vignetting, someone stood up in front of me, and so it created a bit of a fuzzy area.

Hehe yeah same thing, I agree it's a bit weird without the ball in frame, I might try going a bit wider next time and getting the ball in

THANK YOU! So much for your awesome critique and taking the time to post the comment! I'll definitely post some more, I'm going to the game this Saturday (Sadly against Essendon not Freo) and we've already played Freo this year so unfortunately I won't be able to Haha noo no discrimination here, all teams are definitely welcome! Sadly my body isn't a crop, so I'll be missing that reach, but I could look into hiring a TC to test out

You might even crop in and straighten it a little bit to emphasize the action. There was a lot of "dead space" in the upper left of this one.

I like that too!

 

[wickidwombat]

it says greater than 300mm are not allowed
so i read that as 300mm are allowed
a 300 f4L is basically the same size as the 70-200 a little longer
a tele on that would have decent reach

or the siggy 120-300 f2.8 grenade launcher

 

[samueljay]

Oh yeah, like I said, there's a 300mm limit, so you can bring in a 300mm prime or zoom no worries, just nothing over that I don't own one though A 300mm prime is on my to buy list, it was one of my favourite lengths when I used film

So I took everything you guys said and suggested into account, and had a play around with a few more photos from the same game Things I've taken into account: No more vignettes, Less contrasty (enhances vignetting), Don't be afraid to crop in, If possible have the ball visible in frame, and Rotate the image to make sure it's level As always critique and feedback are welcome!

Thanks,
Sam.

 

[eli72]

Sam: Those are some great shots. Don't you just hate it when you get "crowd vignetting" when people stand up in front of you just as you shoot?

 

[wickidwombat]

yep some nice shots there much better without the vignette and some good compositions

 

[samueljay]

Thanks guys, and yeah eli, this was my first attempt, but it is really annoying, especially the Lenny Hayes shot (the second from the top) I was hoping for a good photo of him to blow up and give to my brother as a birthday present, hopefully I'll have better luck this week!

 

[wickidwombat]

Thanks guys, and yeah eli, this was my first attempt, but it is really annoying, especially the Lenny Hayes shot (the second from the top) I was hoping for a good photo of him to blow up and give to my brother as a birthday present, hopefully I'll have better luck this week!

LOL i was thinking "damn thats a good shot" then I scrolled down and saw the spectators heads and thought "bugger"

 

[melbournite]

Nice shots, but I also dislike the vignetting. Withhout it, they would be better!

There is a 200mm focal length limit to AFL matches - though you could easily get around that if you add in a TC or body with crop factor etc

what do you mean? You are not allowed to bring longer lenses? Hard to believe....

Not really. Longer would be the domain of those that are paid to take photographs there.

I'm surprised you can take in a professional camera at all. Next time I'm taking mine!

 

[4thchicken]

it says greater than 300mm are not allowed
so i read that as 300mm are allowed
a 300 f4L is basically the same size as the 70-200 a little longer
a tele on that would have decent reach

or the siggy 120-300 f2.8 grenade launcher

Interesting that etihad says 300mm is allowed.

I based my earlier statement from here - http://www.afl.com.au/fixture/aflvenues/conditionsofentry/tabid/13642/default.aspx - lists 200mm as the limit. Would be interesting to see the actual limit

Sigma 120-300 + 2X TC would be interesting. Though might be a bit heavy with no monopod!